Part 7 (1/2)
Thoughby the reminder, Santander preserved his coolness He had this, if not courage--at least a knack of feigning it
But again foiled in the atte exposure in the eyes of the gaol-governor--an old _militario_-- should the story of the _steel shi+rt_ co the _Tejanos_ Luckily for hie he and the Texans had used in their brief, but sharp exchange of words Now addressing hiovernor, he said--
”As you perceive, Senor Don Pedro, these two gentlemen are old acquaintances of ladly relieve Alas! I fear the laill take its course”
At which corimly; well aware of the sort of interest Colonel Santander took in the pair of prisoners committed to his care For the order so to dispose of them he knew to have come from Santander himself! It was not his place, nor was he the kind of man to inquire into motives; especially when these concerned his superiors Santander was an officer on the staff of the Dictator, besides being a favourite at Court The gaol-governor knew it, and was subservient Had he been cole the two e, or administer poison to them, he would have done it without pity or protest The cruel tyrant who had overnor of the Acordada knew his man, and had already, as rumour said, with history to confiret rid of ene all this interlude the robber had maintained his position and silence, his face turned to the blank wall of the cloister, his back upon all the others What his motive for this was neither of the Texans could tell; and in all likelihood Santander knew not himself any eness, courted inquiry; and see hiovernor, said--
”By the way, Don Pedro, who is your prisoner, who makes the fourth in this curious quartette? He seely one like e in which Carlos Santander oft indulged He knew that he was anything but ill-favoured as far as face went
”Only a gentleovernor
”An interesting sort of individual then,” said Santander ”Let me scan his countenance, and see whether it be of the true brigand type--a Mazaroni or Diavolo”
So saying, he stepped inside the cell, and passed on till he could see over the robber's shoulder, who now slightly turning his head, faced towards hied between the two, but from the looks it was clear they were old acquaintances, Santander starting as he recognised the other; while his glance betrayed a hostility strong and fierce as that felt for either Florence Kearney or the Texan A slight exclaer, was all that passed his lips as his eyes met a pair of other eyes which seemed to pierce his very heart
He stayed not forupon his heel, made direct for the door Not to reach it, however, without interruption In his hurry to be gone, he stus of the Texan, that stretched across the cell, nearly froave theood fortune fast and far out of reach, otherwise Cris Rock, who sprang to his feet, and on for the entrance, jerking the dwarf after, would in all probability there and then have taken his life
As it was, the gaol-governor, seeing the danger, suddenly shut the cloister door, so saving it
”Jest as I've been tellin' ye all along, Cap,” coolly remarked Rock, as the slaed the skunk, or shot hi lettin' him out o' that ditch when I had hiht! We're like to sup sorrow for it now”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE EXILES RETURNED
Of the _dramatis personae_ of our tale, already known to our reader, Carlos Santander, Florence Kearney, and Cris Rock were not the only ones who had shi+fted residence from the City of New Orleans to that of Mexico Within the nacio Valverde and his daughter The banished exile had not only returned to his native land, but his property had been restored to him, and himself reinstated in the favour of the Dictator
More still, he had now higher rank than ever before; since he had been appointed a Minister of State
For the first upward step on this progressive ladder of prosperity Don Ignacio owed all to Carlos Santander The handso the ear of his chief, found little difficulty in getting the ban reee--criminal only in a political sense--to couessed Nothing of either friendshi+p or humanity actuated Santander Alone the passion of love; which had to do not with Don Ignacio--but his daughter In New Orleans he hier live, and so could no more see Luisa Valverde there Purely personal then; a selfish love, such as he could feel, was the motive for his intercession with the political chief of Mexico to pardon the political crinacio to his country, that was all True, there was the restitution of the exile's estates, but this followed as a consequence on reinstatehts The after honours and emoluments--with the appointment to a seat in the Cabinet--came from the Chief of the State, Santa Anna hi a , been his political foe was precisely the same as that which actuated Carlos Santander The Dictator of Mexico, as faallantry in war--and indeed somewhat more--had looked upon Luisa Valverde, and ”saw that she was fair”
For Don Ignacio himself, as the recipient of these favours, much may be said in extenuation Banishment from one's native land, with loss of property, and separation from friends as from best society; condees are unattainable, aenial; add to this the necessity of work, whether ustae donacio Valverde during his residence in New Orleans He bore all patiently and bravely, as --and it cannot be wondered at that he hen the day ca the State seal of the Mexican Republic--for its insignia were yet unchanged--to say that he had received pardon, and could return home
He knew the man who had procured it for hi of the ift horse must not be too narrowly exaht when he behaved so rudely in Don Ignacio's house, had been chary in showing his face In point of fact, he had made but onehimself several days after the duel with a patch of court plaister on his cheek, and his ar froave his own account of it, knowing there was but little danger of its being contradicted; Duperon's te silence The others were all GTT
(gone to Texas), the hack-drivers, as he had taken pains to assure hi denial or being called in question
It was to the effect that he had fought Florence Kearney, and given h of theerous, tosurvive
He did not say this to Luisa Valverde--only to her father When she heard it second hand, it caone away--perhaps luckily for hiain in Mexico, months after, he told the sa adversary, so terribly gashed as to be in danger of dying, still lived For an Aave an account of the battle of Mier, had spoken of Captain Kearney in eulogistic ter his name in the death list; this Santander had read The presu the survivors
Thus stood things in the city of Mexico at the time the Mier prisoners entered it, as relates to the persons who have so far found place in our story--Carlos Santander, a colonel on the staff of the Dictator; Don Ignacio Valverde, a Minister of State; his daughter, a reigning belle of society, with no aspirations therefor, but solely on account of her beauty; Florence Kearney, late Captain of the Texan filibusters, with Cris Rock, guide, scout, and general skirmisher of the sa to leg with a robber, the other sharing the chain of a murderer, alike crooked in soul as in body!
That for the Texan prisoners there was yet greater degradation in store--one of theovernor had so uncerenacio in New Orleans had not been throay upon hih conversation with the soldiers of their escort, had ue